Reading Test Kits

[alex:)]

I bought a 5 in 1 test kit today for my 30l tank.

the ph no2 and no3 seem bang on but the gh and kh seem high (gh is around 160 and kh around 200)

Ive got a fighting fish, 3 neon tetra and 3 bracknose lil catfish type things...

ive never done a water test before and im still a total novice, any advise if this is harmful or ok.

on the pack it explains about each one and the first two still seem a bit high for what ive got.


ps in a 30l tank how many fish do you think I could have?

thank you

alex.


pps - when people on here say about changing 20% of the water - can I use standard tap water as long as i get it to room temp?

 

[Colin_T]

you can use tap water to do water changes but it must be free of chlorine and a similar temperature to the tank before adding it to the tank.

gh = general hardness and refers to the disolved minerals in the water, in particular calcium and magnesium.
kh = carbonate hardness and refers to the carbonates & bicarbonates disovled in the water.

both GH & KH help to stabilise the PH and prevent it dropping too quickly. Your readings aren't too high. For example Lake Malawi in Africa has a GH of over 400ppm. Pure rain has 0ppm of GH or KH. Your levels are quite good. Not too high nor too low.

As for the number of fish in a 30 litre tank. It depends on how much food is fed and how often water changes are done. But the fish you have currently should be fine. In the future you should get some more neons, perhaps 6-10 total. Don't add too many fish until the tank has cycled and the filters developed sufficient good bacteria to keep the ammonia and nitrite levels at 0.
A good way to tell if you have too many fish in the tank is to monitor the nitrates. if they are going up with your current water change regime then there are too many fish or too much food going into the tank. Either do more water changes to compensate or reduce the number of fish.

 

[alex:)]

i used to have 10 neons but the fighting fish ate all but 3 oh and i have 1 zebra danio - dont know how he snook in
i just changed the filter block thing today for the first time in about 5weeks as it says to change every 3 weeks on the pack.. doh! but does that mean my good bacteria is gone with the old filter?

so gh and kh even tho they are near the top of the reading on my chart they are ok?

If I was to get say another 7 neons and a few fancy guppies would that be ok?

does anyone also know about newts or is it salomans? I saw some in a fish shop today and they look awesome.

 

[Colin_T]

By changing the filter materials you have removed the good bacteria that keeps the water clean and as such you have probably started the cycling process again.

Try not to change filter materials unless they contain carbon. Filter sponges should be washed out in a bucket of tank water each month and then put straight back into the filter. Filter wool is treated the same. Carbon is replaced every month or so depending on the grade. Activated carbon will last a couple of months whereas normal carbon lasts about a month.
If you want to grow plants in the tank then don't have any carbon in the filter.
If there are ceramic beads or noodles they get rinsed out in a bucket of tank water and put straight back into the filter.

If you have to change any filter materials then only change 1/3 and leave 2/3 in the filter. This way you will only lose 1/3 of the bacteria dna the remaining 2/3 will quickly rebuild the populations.

GH and KH are fine and nothing to worry about. They should help to keep your PH stabil and prevent it from dropping suddenly.

Don't add any new fish for about a month. Keep the feeding down and monitor the ammonia and nitrite levels over the next few weeks.

Newts and salamanders are the same thing. Generally newts are considered land dwellers while salamanders considered aquatic. Most are small and live in damp shady areas. They require a tank of their own and are quite interesting. Fire newts are black with a red belly and grow to about 4 inches. There are heaps of varieties but not always many available. Go to the local library and read up on them.

 

[alex:)]

thanks for all your help colin you seem very knowledgable!

one last question (well two)
1, if it says on the packet to change the filter bit every 3weeks... then should I just ignore this and leave it in for an indeffionte time?

2, my fighting fish always looks healthy but I noticed a while ago and just again now that he sucks the dry food in and spits it right back out... is this normal, i mean he must be getting neutriants as he'd either look poorly or be dead after nearly 6weeks like this? should i get some frozen food also? ive got algie wafers in for the other guys.

thanks

 

[rocknurworld2006]

i used to have 10 neons but the fighting fish ate all but 3 oh and i have 1 zebra danio - dont know how he snook in
i just changed the filter block thing today for the first time in about 5weeks as it says to change every 3 weeks on the pack.. doh! but does that mean my good bacteria is gone with the old filter?

so gh and kh even tho they are near the top of the reading on my chart they are ok?

If I was to get say another 7 neons and a few fancy guppies would that be ok?

does anyone also know about newts or is it salomans? I saw some in a fish shop today and they look awesome.

there is no way you will be able to get 7 neons and guppies on top of what you have as it is only 30litre tank!!!

 

[rdd1952]

The filter companies tell you to change the filter that often simply because they want to sell filter packs. You only need to change it when if becomes too worn to function. As mentioned, your beneficial bacteria is mainly in the filter so when you throw it away, you are starting a mini cycle in your tank.

Most all fish will suck in food and spit it back out, especially if it is large. As far as food is concerned, I always fed my bettas the Betta Bio Gold from Hikari. They are tiny pellets that my bettas always ate right up. Feeding some frozen foods such as brine shrimp or bloodworms as an occasional treat is good but not necessary on a daily basis. Actually, bloodworms are very high in protein and should only be fed occasionaly or they can cause constipation problems.

I know you just got the strips but they are very inaccurate. Your GH & KH are fine and aren't terribly important as long as they are stable. You said your nitrite and nitrate were fine. What are the actual readings? Another major problem with the 5-in-1 strips is that there isn't an ammonia test on it. Ammonia is the first toxin present in your tank and can kill fish before nitrite ever shows up. Your tank may have been set up long enough to be finished cycling but the fact that you have lost the neons (most likely died and were eaten by the other fish rather than the betta killing them) makes me wonder if it is still cycling. I soule stringly suggest a liquid master kit that measures ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH. They are much more accurate and less expensive in the long run.

For water changes, 15 to 25 percent weekly is the norm. Just use tap water and treat with a dechlorinator like Prime or Stress Coat (just to name a few). If there is nitrite in the water (meaning there is most likely ammonia too) you need to do them more often to keep the levels below 25 ppm. Ammonia and nitrite should always be zero and any reading other than that indicates that there is some problem.

Lastly, your tank is only about 8 gallons so it isn't large enough for many fish. The general guide for beginners is 1" of adult fish per gallon of water. For neons that would be about 6 or so. That is not a steadfast rule but makes it easier until you can get comfrotable with your tank and what needs to be done to provide a healthy living environment for your fish. Also, I know you mentioned that you didn't know how you got the danio, but he could cause problems for your betta as they have been know to harass slower moving fish.

 

[Shrimper]

i used to have 10 neons but the fighting fish ate all but 3 oh and i have 1 zebra danio - dont know how he snook in

If I was to get say another 7 neons and a few fancy guppies would that be ok?

does anyone also know about newts or is it salomans? I saw some in a fish shop today and they look awesome.

Siamese Fighting fish (aka Betta) aren't the most sociable of fish. Have a look in the Betta section for tank make suggestions. I can recomend Cory Catfish and Amano Shrimp. I've kept both with a Betta and they have been fine. Fancy Guppies aren't the best choice as they look a little bit like a Betta and that makes them angry!

I don't know much about Newts, but I do know they need some land above water so probably wont be suitable for your tank. It is possible to get aquatic frogs that don't need dry land. Look carefully though there are two sorts, one will grow big and eat your fish and has clawed feet. The other sort has webbed feet and one will stay small. The little one can live with the Betta too.

 

[alex:)]

cool thanks for all the useful advise ill try to reply to everything-

the results for the no2 and no1 were clear as in 0 or maybe even just touching the first shade in the chart indicating under 0.5 or 20 so i guessed that was good.

the 7 dead neon tetra were eaten by the betta from live he killed them all by taking a chunk out underneith them behind there head, deffo not due to water, but the last 3 seem happy enough - i think the others just niped him.

i cant afford a £30 test kit hence getting the cheap one

I might spend a few quid on a airline as there are no bubbles or the like in the tank at present.

on the water change subject - could i just use bottled water straight into the tank?

and when you said 6 or so neons are you counting 6 neons as the equivilant as a 1" adult?

thanks guys apreciated a lot

 

[rdd1952]

Some bettas are very aggressive but it is very odd for them to attack neons. Did you actually see him attack them? In any case, your tap water isn't an issue. No real reason to use bottled water. It may even great more issues with keeping the pH, GH & KH stable.

As far as the test kit is concerned, I understand your shortage of funds but in the long run, strips are way more expensive than liquid. A master kit will do hundreds of test for each item. Strips to do an equal number would cost at least double what the liquid kit does.

You don't necessarily need the airpump. It's really an optional item As long as your fish are gasping for air at the top of the tank, you have enough O2 in the water. Any surface movement adds O2 to the water so you can basically get the same effect as the water splashes back into the tank from your filter.

And last but not least, 1 neon equals about 1 to 1.5 inches so you could have about 6 neons total in the tank. Basically, with the danio, betta, 3 catfish (corys I assume) and 3 neons you have now, I would not add any more fish for a while as you are actually over 1" per gallon now. As I mentioned, that isn't a hardfast rule but it will make it easier to keep the water parameters where they need to be until you get the tank established and learn the ins and outs of fish keeping.

 

[alex:)]

thanks for your time, apreciated.

I'll leave the tank to settle and might introduce some plants in the next couple of weeks and see how it goes

I didnt actually see him eat them but one of the neons in the bag with the betta was dieing on the way home and had looked like a big bite from underneith had got him aswell as all the other 6 that died.

i did see the neon nip the betta once, but the last 3 neons seem quite content?

im pretty sure that the betta is the one to blame not water.

 

[rocknurworld2006]

cool thanks for all the useful advise ill try to reply to everything-

the results for the no2 and no1 were clear as in 0 or maybe even just touching the first shade in the chart indicating under 0.5 or 20 so i guessed that was good.

the 7 dead neon tetra were eaten by the betta from live he killed them all by taking a chunk out underneith them behind there head, deffo not due to water, but the last 3 seem happy enough - i think the others just niped him.

i cant afford a £30 test kit hence getting the cheap one

I might spend a few quid on a airline as there are no bubbles or the like in the tank at present.

on the water change subject - could i just use bottled water straight into the tank?

and when you said 6 or so neons are you counting 6 neons as the equivilant as a 1" adult?

thanks guys apreciated a lot

you can buy the best kit which is api liquid master test kit
which includes ph, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate for about £15 on ebay thats including delivery!